Maternal cortisol and stress are associated with birth outcomes, but are not affected by lipid-based nutrient supplements during pregnancy: an analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Malawi

Table 3 Mean (SD) cortisol and perceived stress during pregnancy and birth outcomes by intervention group

Characteristic	IFA	MMN	LNS	p-value^a
Cortisol, nmol/L
Baseline	6.0 (4.5)	5.4 (3.2)	5.6 (3.4)	0.032
28 wk	5.7 (2.7)	5.7 (2.8)	6.2 (4.2)	0.280
36 wk	8.4 (3.5)	7.8 (2.7)	8.1 (3.3)	0.080
Perceived stress score
Baseline	14.7 (5.6)	14.2 (5.4)	14.3 (5.4)	0.504
28 wk	14.9 (5.6)	15.2 (6.0)	14.2 (5.8)	0.079
36 wk	13.7 (5.1)	14.0 (5.4)	13.7 (4.9)	0.730

^a.p-values represent a test of crude differences between groups using ANOVA using the Tukey-Kramer adjustment for multiple comparisons. Cortisol models at 28 wks and 36 wk were additionally tested in a model adjusting for baseline cortisol. Adjusted means did not differ from crude values and p-values were 0.14 at 28 wk and 0.24 at 36 wk

ISSN: 1471-2393